How to Squeeze the Most
Nutrition Out of Your Juice
Fact Sheet FS542
Cooperative Extension
FAM I LY AN D CO M M U N I T Y H E A LT H SC I E NC E S
Luanne Hughes, MS, RD, Family and Community Health Sciences Educator, Gloucester County
Health experts agree that eating plenty of fruits and
vegetables is key to lowering your risk of developing
chronic diseases, including certain cancers and
cardiovascular disease. Yet, it can be difficult to figure
out how much of a role fruit and vegetable juices should
play in a healthy diet. While it’s fine to make a place in
your diet for juices, it’s important to do your homework,
shop carefully and choose wisely.
Weighing the Pros…
Fruits and vegetables contain a wide range of vitamins,
minerals, fiber and phytonutrients that experts agree
promote health and protect against chronic disease.
Except for the fiber, fruit and vegetable juices can
contain similar levels of the same nutrients as their
whole fruit and vegetable counterparts.
Fruit and vegetable juices are good sources of
antioxidants and phytonutrients. The terms
“phytonutrient” and “phytochemical” are used to
describe those plant compounds that are thought to
have antioxidant, immune boosting and other healthprotecting qualities. Phytonutrients include terpenes,
carotenoids, limonoids, phytosterols and others.
Processing does affect the levels, bioavailablility and
activity of phytonutrients and antioxidants in juices –
but not always in a bad way. Apple juice, for example,
loses most of the apple’s antioxidant activity because
the most nutrient-dense part of the apples is not used
to make the juice...it’s thrown away. The lycopene in
tomato juice, on the other hand, is more bioavailable
than in a fresh tomato, thanks to the heat and oil
used to produce juice. Even hand squeezing makes a
difference. Commercially squeezed orange juice and
pomegranate juice contain more phytonutrients and
antioxidants, respectively, than their hand-squeezed
counterparts.
...Considering the Cons
Juices are more calorie-dense and are a more
concentrated source of simple sugars than whole fruits
and vegetables…an important distinction. Juices also
have less fiber and can be more expensive per serving
than fruits and vegetables. High consumption of
juice is linked to weight gain in some studies – but
not in others. Still, health professionals recommend
moderation. It’s easier to add extra calories with juice
than with whole fruits or vegetables, simply because you
can drink, say, two glasses of orange juice more quickly
than enjoying a single orange.
Similarly, those who take anti-blood clotting
medications must be cautious of drinking too much
juice that is prepared from foods rich in vitamin K
(such as spinach and kale) to avoid food-medication
interactions. Consumers with health conditions such as
kidney disease, hypertension or diabetes should discuss
the role of fruit juice in their daily meal plans with a
physician and registered dietitian (RD).
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
88 Lipman Drive, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8525
Phone: 848.932.5000
Navigating the Juice Jungle
Juice products fall into three major categories:
•
•
•
100% Juices – 100% juice is either squeezed
directly from the fruit or made from concentrated
juice that is reconstituted with water. It includes
no added sugars, sweeteners, colors or additives.
(Although, it is often supplemented with vitamins
and or minerals…) This includes both single- or
multiple-fruit combinations, such as orange or
orange-passion.
Juice Drinks – A variety of juice beverages are
made by blending juice with other ingredients/
additives. Juice drinks contain less than 100%
fruit juice. The juice content in these drinks can
range from about 10% to less than 100%; and,
they can contain added sweeteners, flavors and
other additives. Juice drinks are also identified as
juice cocktails, juice blends, fruit “-ade” or some
other term meant to indicate that they are not
100% juices. They may have the same amount of
calories per serving as 100% fruit juice, but the
phytonutrient, vitamin and mineral content of juice
drinks won’t equal what you get from their 100%
juice counterparts. While they can legally range
from more than 0% to less than 100% juice, juice
drinks generally contain about 10% to 50% juice.
Fruit-Flavored Drinks – Fruit-flavored drinks
contain no fruit juices and use sweeteners and
flavorings to give them their fruity flavors.
While they’re often fortified with vitamins and
minerals to look nutritious, they’re missing the
antioxidants and phytochemicals found in actual
fruit and vegetable juices. They’re also high in “free
sugars,” which groups such as the World Health
Organization and the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization urge consumers to limit.
Is a Juice Just a Juice?
Whether you’re buying a new car or a bottle of juice,
it’s important to know what you’re getting for your
money. Look for 100% fruit juice, but don’t stop there.
Some 100% juices are nutritionally superior to others,
just as some fruits and vegetables are nutritionally
superior to others. Read the food label and select more
nutrient-dense juices…juices with higher percentages
of vitamins and minerals, like Vitamins A and C and
folate. Consider juices fortified with calcium and
vitamin D, as well, to support healthy bones.
Know exactly which juices are used to make the
product you buy by reading the ingredient list.
Ingredients are listed from the most to least abundant
on the ingredient list. If your 100% fruit juice lists
apple juice as the first ingredient and pomegranate as
the last, you’re drinking much less pomegranate juice
and mostly apple juice. Consequently, you won’t reap
the phytonutrient benefits that make pomegranates so
appealing.
If you’re juicing your own fruits and vegetables, experts
recommend using a 3:1 vegetable-to-fruit ratio to
maximize nutrients and flavor. Choose recipes that use
nutrient-dense vegetables and fruits like kale, spinach,
beet, bell pepper and citrus, and strive for colorful juice
recipes, particularly red and green.
All juices contain water and sugar. If you’re drinking
100% juice, the sugar is naturally occurring fructose.
Juice drinks, on the other hand, are made with added
sugars like high-fructose corn syrup. While your
body won’t differentiate between added and naturally
occurring sugars, there may be more sugar and,
consequently, more calories in juice drinks, depending
on the amount of added sugar.
Picking a Quality Juice
Including “quality” juices in your diet can be a healthy
part of achieving your fruit and vegetable goals. But…
just what is a “quality” juice?
Depending on the fruits or vegetables they’re made
from, juices supply varying amounts of nutrients. Many
juices contain little more than sugar and water. Others
offer the same vitamins, minerals, and many of the
same phytochemicals (although not the fiber) found in
their corresponding fruit or vegetable.
Both the medical and nutrition communities agree
that a “quality” juice is one that is 100% juice, as
opposed to juice drinks or blends that contain less
than 100% juice. Experts also agree that you should
limit the amount of juice you drink – even if it is 100%
juice. Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and
the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommend
that juice should be substituted for no more than one
of the 5+ recommended daily servings of fruits and
vegetables. (One juice serving is about 8 ounces for an
adult, 4-6 ounces for a young child.) Both groups point
out that juices lack the fiber and are higher in simple
sugars than their whole fruit counterparts.
When considering the health benefits we typically
associate with fruits and vegetables – protection against
certain cancers and cardiovascular disease – enjoying a
glass of OJ with your breakfast cereal or adding a can of
vegetable juice to your lunch box could be a convenient
way to include fruits and vegetables in your diet. And,
these days, juices are often fortified with vitamins and
minerals such as vitamin C and calcium to enhance
their nutritional profile. The key, however, is to balance
juice with fruits and vegetables:
• Eat a variety of whole fruits, vegetables and juices.
• Select a colorful assortment of fruits, vegetables and juices to get an assortment of phytonutrients.
• One daily serving of juice is a good start toward
meeting your daily fruit and vegetable goals. But
don’t be fooled; juices offer no real nutritional
benefits over whole fruits and vegetables. They’re a
tasty change but not a substitute for the “real thing.”
Use these tips and our chart and
you’ll be off to a good start!
• Check the Label – Manufacturers are required by
law to declare the juice percentage by the words,
“Contains __% ___ juice” or “___% juice.” Make
sure the juice you’re buying is 100% juice.
• The More Colorful, the Better – The greatest
number of healthful phytonutrients can be found
in the most colorful foods. This is true of juice, as
well. Virtually all 100% juices contain something
worth recommending. Those with more color to
them, however, tend to have more antioxidants,
phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals. Pink
grapefruit juice gives you the antioxidants lycopene
and beta-carotene, which are missing from white
grapefruit juice. Purple grape juice packs a more
potent antioxidant punch than white grape juice.
• Consider Your Own Special Needs – For adults,
the phytochemicals and antioxidants in purple
grape juice offer protection against cancer and heart
disease. For children, the vitamin C and folate
in orange juice make it a better choice to support
growth, development and immune function. If
you’re prone to urinary tract infections (UTIs), the
tannins in cranberry juice inhibit E. coli bacteria
from adhering to the walls of the bladder and
urethra, preventing them from hanging around
to cause infections. The tannins are powerful
protectors. (Dried cranberries are just as effective
per serving as juice in preventing UTIs and, unlike
juice, they contain fiber as well.)
• Weigh the Good and the Not-So-Good – There
are advantages and disadvantages to everything we
choose. Sometimes these contrasts are apparent;
others they are not. Prune juice, for example, is
one of the most phytochemical-rich juices you can
purchase. It’s also rich in sorbitol, a natural sugar
that soaks up water, making prune juice a superb
bulking agent with a well-known laxative effect.
Apple juice and white grape juice, on the other
hand, are sorbital-rich juices that can have similar
laxative effects as prune juice, yet they are not
stereotyped as such.
• Add Up the “Extras” – Fortification has the
potential to make a good juice even better. 100%
juice with added calcium and vitamin D has proved
to be an excellent way to supplement calcium for
bone building and prevention of osteoporosis. The
verdict may not be as complimentary for juices that
contain higher doses of vitamins and minerals.
• Be Safe – Read labels and select only pasteurized
juices and ciders. When shopping at farm markets,
ask if juice/cider is pasteurized if the label doesn’t
indicate it. Unpasteurized juice and cider may
contain pathogens like E. coli, salmonella and
cryptosproidium. While most people’s immune
systems can usually fight off the effects of
foodborne illness, children, the elderly, pregnant
women and people with weakened immune
systems risk serious illnesses or even death from
drinking untreated juices/cider.
• If you’re juicing your own fruits and vegetables,
start by washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
Fresh juice can quickly develop harmful
pathogens, so only make as much as you can drink
immediately.
• Balance Juice with Fruits and Vegetables – Don’t be
fooled; juices offer no real nutritional benefits over
whole fruits and vegetables. They’re a tasty change
but not a substitute for the “real thing.” One serving
of juice is a good start toward meeting your daily
fruit/vegetable goals.
Fruit Juice & Children
Is fruit juice dangerous for children? In reality,
according to the American Academy of Pediatrics
(AAP), there are many other more important dangers
to your child’s health, but drinking too much fruit juice
can be a problem.
According to the AAP, drinking too much juice can
contribute to obesity, the development of cavities
(dental caries), diarrhea and other gastrointestinal
problems, such as excessive gas, bloating and
abdominal pain.
Among the recommendations of the AAP report, The
Use and Misuse of Fruit Juice in Pediatrics, which
are actually daily limits of how much fruit juice kids
should drink, and not an actual recommendation to
drink juice, are that:
• When you give your child juice, it should be 100%
pasteurized fruit juice and not fruit drinks.
• Infants under 6 months of age should not be given juice, although many pediatricians do recommend small
amounts of juice for children who are constipated.
• Infants between 6 and 12 months can drink up to 4 - 6 ounces of juice a day, but only in a cup, never in a bottle.
• Younger children aged 1 to 6 years should have only 4 - 6 ounces of juice a day; children aged 7 and older should
be limited to 8 - 12 ounces of juice a day.
• Instead of juice, children should be encouraged to eat whole fruits.
Picking the Best 100% Juice
Vitamin A Vitamin C Potassium
Folate
Fiber
Phytochemicals
Juice
Name
Apple
Anthocyanins,
Quercetin
Anthocyanins,
Tannins, Ellagic
Acid
May Protect
Against
Cancer,
Heart Disease
-
-
-
-
-
-
***
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Anthocyanins,
Resveratrol
Cancer, Heart
Disease
-
-
-
-
-
Ellagic Acid
Cancer
-
***
*
*
-
Hesperetin,
Monoterpenes
Cancer, Heart
Disease
Pineapple
-
**
*
*
-
Bromelain
Arthritis
Pink
Grapefruit
*
***
*
-
-
Lycopene,
Beta-Carotene
Cancer,
Prune
-
*
*
-
*
Anthocyanins
Tangerine
*
***
*
-
-
Monoterpenes,
Lutein
Still under study
Carrot
***
**
*
-
-
Beta-Carotene
Cancer
-
Lycopene,
Beta-carotene
Cranberry
Grape
(concord/
purple)
Grape
(white)
Orange
Tomato
**
Vegetable
Juice (V-8)
***
***
***
*
*
*
*
-
Lycopene,
Beta-carotene
Cancer, Urinary
Tract Infections
Heart Disease
Cancer
(In particular,
prostate cancer),
Heart Disease
Cancer
(In particular,
prostate cancer),
Heart Disease
Key: 8 ounces = * 10% - 24% DV; * * 25% - 49% DV; * * * 50% + DV
© 2013 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. All rights reserved.
For a comprehensive list of our publications visit www.njaes.rutgers.edu
June 2013
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Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
88 Lipman Drive, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8525
Phone: 848.932.5000